Chapter 146

Chapter 146

Mo'er had no idea what had just happened. In his eyes, Maomao seemed to have teleported, appearing by his legs in the blink of an eye.

He wasn't far from Lorant, and for a Liuli Bingyan Dog that was truly running, it was just a matter of an instant.

From seeing Maomao sitting in front of Lorant to it appearing by his side, it took no more than a blink.

Mo'er felt his entire body bristle with goosebumps.

He had interacted with Maomao before; the little guy was very lively and always extremely friendly towards him.

Usually, Mo'er would even help groom its fur.

But at this moment, being stared at by Maomao with such an unfamiliar gaze made Mo'er's spine chill.

There was no doubt that the creature before him was dangerous. If it wished, he could lose his life at any moment.

Lorant looked at Maomao, standing in front of Mo'er with its body tense and ready for battle, and was quite satisfied with its reaction.

He demanded that his pet behave normally, playing and being affectionate, and getting along with others.

But once he gave the command, regardless of how familiar the person was, his Maomao should attack without hesitation.

Only such a pet could give Lorant a sense of security.

"Come back, Maomao." Lorant's voice softened, and Maomao immediately returned to its usual playful self, breaking into a silly grin and trotting happily back to Lorant.

Then it dove into Lorant's arms, who had squatted down with open hands, and began to nuzzle and snuggle.

Lorant rubbed Maomao's soft fur and then pulled out a palm-sized piece of dried meat from his waist, feeding it to the little guy as a reward.

"What you just saw was the obedience of a Liuli Bingyan Dog," Lorant said, standing up and looking at the astonished students. "Next, I will demonstrate the attacking posture of a Liuli Bingyan Dog. Is there any student willing to come forward and assist me in this demonstration?"

All the students glanced around, but no one moved.

While knights were supposed to be brave and fearless, that didn't mean they should act recklessly.

Rushing in without proper preparation was also a cardinal sin for knights.

"Alright, then. As a teaching assistant, the student who assists me this time will receive one class point," Lorant reluctantly used his trump card. "There won't be any danger, everyone can rest assured."

Sure enough, several students who were lagging behind in class points became interested.

Although facing a Liuli Bingyan Dog seemed scary, first, Lorant wouldn't let his students get hurt in class.

Second, the Liuli Bingyan Dog appeared to be young, so its strength shouldn't be on par with a fully grown one, which could reach levels six or seven.

While its speed was impressive, it probably wouldn't simply crush them!

The third-level knights thought to themselves.

A few of the struggling students looked at each other and raised their hands simultaneously.

Lorant scanned the group and chose the one who looked the most robust, a shield knight.

Mike stepped forward to equip the chosen 'lucky' student with full-body armor.

The thick armor was even sturdier and heavier than the armor used by ordinary shield knights in battle.

The metal frame was slightly larger than the human body, and thick leather covered every part, making the protective armor extremely safe, completely enveloping the person inside, not even a hair would be exposed.

It was incredibly well-protected.

Wearing this, one could roll down a mountain and probably not even scratch the skin of the knight inside.

But the more secure the protection, the more serious Mike's inspection, and the more uneasy the student became.

This! What about the promise of no danger?

If there was no danger, why did the armor need to be so sturdy?

This clearly showed they were afraid he might die!

He felt like he had made a wrong choice for a few points, maybe being a helper was a better decision...

Lorant, of course, was unaware of the complex thoughts swirling in the student's mind.

Mike, seeing the somewhat disheveled look in the boy's eyes, understood a bit of what he was thinking, but he didn't say anything, only tightening the straps on the boy's armor.

After all, Mike usually played the role of the 'target' in these training sessions, so he was happy to watch from the sidelines.

"Alright, are you ready? We're starting!" Lorant gave Maomao a few gestures, and it obediently sat by his side, its fluffy body pressing against Lorant's leg.

The student, surrounded by the crowd, took a deep breath. There was no avoiding it, so he might as well face it bravely.

"I'm ready!"

Seeing the student's determination, Lorant was reassured. He pointed at the fully armored 'leather man' and gave the command.

"Bite!"

A black flash zipped past, leaving a blurry trail on everyone's retinas.

Then, the shield knight, who had been watching Maomao's movements intently and had raised his arm to block, felt as if he had been hit head-on by a giant beast.

With the massive impact, the next second, his vision flipped, and he could only see a few white clouds through the tight armor.

It was peaceful and beautiful.

What just happened?

Everyone watched in stunned silence as Maomao bit down hard on the shoulder of the Shield Knight who had already been knocked to the ground, making the entire arena eerily quiet.

Lorant was one of those surprised.

A third-level Shield Knight... could he really be so weak?

The innkeeper fell into deep doubt.

Mike was also a third-level Warrior, though he had touched the threshold of the fourth level, his essence hadn't changed.

In theory, Mike should have been able to withstand Maomao's pounce and counterattack. There was no reason for the students of the Knights Academy to be unable to endure it!

Could it really be as the old hands in the Knight Regiment said, that these academy students were all pampered young masters, looking good but being utterly useless?

Lorant's doubtful gaze was far too unmasked.

The Shield Knight lying on the ground didn't see it, but the other students' faces were red with embarrassment.

They all cast disdainful glances at their fallen classmate.

Mike, however, was the only one in the entire venue who clearly understood what had happened.

He naturally knew that this Shield Knight's strength wasn't much different from his own, but their levels of seriousness about the matter were entirely different.

This Shield Knight probably hadn't truly entered combat mode. He likely didn't expect that, although it was a training session, Maomao would take it so seriously, attacking as if to kill him. This momentary underestimation led to such a result.

Even Maomao paused.

Its bite was right at the neck of the armor, its sharp fangs piercing through the entire hide. A slight downward pressure would have pierced the skin.

But usually, when Mike was inside, he would struggle fiercely, and Maomao would need to exert some effort to subdue him, not like now, which was so boring.

What's wrong with this guy!

It was just a pounce!

Maomao unhappily released its bite and stomped on the uninteresting Shield Knight.

It was very smart, the traits of a canine king making its intelligence far surpass that of other Crystal Ice Flame Dogs, almost comparable to a Ghost Spiderling.

Maomao knew this was an entertainment activity between Lorant and itself, so it wouldn't really go all out against this 'armor.'

Lorant wasn't worried that such training would prevent the little guy from being ruthless when it really needed to be.

After all, Lorant had given Maomao practical combat drills, and during those, Maomao showed remarkable decisiveness.

The ferocity of tearing out the throat of the opponent was so different from its usual playful and adorable self that they seemed like two different creatures.

Maomao unhappily jumped off the Shield Knight, shaking its head and looking at Lorant with a pout.

Lorant helplessly twitched the corners of his mouth: "Um, please wait a moment, everyone. Mike, can you do me a favor and demonstrate again?"

Mike sighed and nodded reluctantly, not expecting that this incompetent student would ultimately make him the target.

He walked over and disdainfully removed the armor from the guy lying on the ground pretending to be dead.

Once Mike was properly equipped and the Shield Knight slunk to the back of the crowd with his head hanging low, Lorant began the demonstration again.

This time, it was quite successful.

From the start, Mike was fully focused,

When Maomao pounced for the first time, the Warrior accurately blocked it with his left arm, allowing the Crystal Ice Flame Dog's sharp teeth to only pierce his left forearm.

He planted his feet firmly and took half a step back, neutralizing the force of the dog's charge and stabilizing his stance.

Blocking the first attack by the Crystal Ice Flame Dog was more than half the battle won.

Mike took a breath and heard Lorant's voice: "Circle around Maomao! Use Fireballs!"

Maomao, having missed its first strike, quickly placed its large paws on Mike's chest and nimbly avoided Mike's right hand trying to grab its tail.

The small ice flames surrounding the Crystal Ice Flame Dog suddenly expanded, the intense flames distorting the air around them, successfully forcing Mike to retreat and allowing the dog to jump to the side.

Then, Maomao ran around Mike with a burst of speed, its feet ablaze.

The figure that was still somewhat discernible a moment ago had completely disappeared from everyone's sight.

They knew a Crystal Ice Flame Dog was running at terrifying speed in that position, but they could hardly catch any trace of it in their eyes.

Mike assumed a defensive stance, always on guard for a sudden attack from the Crystal Ice Flame Dog.

Suddenly, three fireballs rushed toward his face. Mike quickly turned to dodge and swiftly looked back, wary of Maomao's feint, knowing the real attack would come from behind!

However, the next second, Mike fell face-down to the ground, with Maomao proudly standing on his back.

Lorant laughed and waved at it, and Maomao stomped on Mike's back once more before bounding toward Lorant.

Mike, shaken by the stomp, took a while to recover and slowly got up.

He chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. This little guy was getting harder and harder to deal with.

The previous two times, it had succeeded with its feints, and this time, he had specifically guarded against it. Who knew that the little guy seemed to know his thoughts and movements, actually attacking from the direction the fireballs came, knocking him down in one hit.

Mike had barely made it to the second floor, but Maomao had already run to the third!

Being outsmarted by a Crystal Ice Flame Dog in terms of combat wisdom was utterly embarrassing.

Lorant rubbed Maomao and gave it a piece of dried meat as a reward, then turned to look at his students.

"Hmm, that's about it. Through your judgment, you can make the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs more comfortable in battle, helping them make decisions. That’s the goal of today’s lesson."

"Alright, now I’ll teach you a few simple commands, and then you can freely choose a Crystal Ice Flame Dog."

Lorant clapped his hands. "An hour from now, I’ll come back to check on everyone. I hope you all have a good class performance."

All the knight students and the orphans listened intently, afraid of missing a single word that might cause their defeat later.

After finishing what he needed to say, Lorant took Maomao to the side to rest and play.

Maomao wasn’t very big yet, but given its growth rate, it wouldn’t be long before the little guy, currently only up to Lorant’s waist, would grow to two or three meters tall.

Lorant cherished this time while the little one was still small, playing with it every day.

A dog’s childhood is very short; before you know it, they grow into big dogs.

An hour passed quickly, and Lorant leisurely returned to the training ground.

With the help of Mike and Taya, the assistants, the students were already prepared and standing aside.

"Alright, no more talk, let’s get straight to the point." Lorant gestured for Maomao to stay by his leg without moving, then looked up expectantly: "Anyone want to go first?"

The students who met his gaze all involuntarily lowered their heads.

This was an unusual situation for these competitive knight students.

If it were any other time, they wouldn’t mind going first.

But today, they were going to compete against the orphans.

This made the knights hesitate.

They felt it wouldn’t be fair to win, and if they lost...

After a while, still no one stepped forward. Lorant sighed, "If no one wants to go first, I’ll pick someone randomly!"

Gabriel struggled internally for a moment before finally stepping forward.

"Teacher Lorant, I’ll go!"

The tall knight raised his hand, and after receiving a nod from Lorant, he earned grateful looks from his classmates.

"So, who from your side will go first?" Lorant scanned the orphans with a probing gaze.

The girl who had caught his attention earlier was eager to volunteer, but she was interrupted by a voice beside her.

"I, I’ll go." Mo'er, looking at the thin orphans, bit his lip and stood up.

He didn’t want to go first either, but he was part of the orphan group and the oldest among them. The younger kids often called him "big brother."

Out of duty and affection, he felt he should step up.

Besides, Gabriel, who was going first, was an acquaintance, so even if he lost, it wouldn’t be too embarrassing.

Gabriel also breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Mo'er step forward.

The two walked to the center of the field and stood facing each other.

Mo'er chose a Crystal Ice Flame Dog he had been playing with recently.

Mo'er’s interest in pets was quite high; he couldn’t wait to dive into the pet area as soon as he opened his eyes each day.

His enthusiasm made Lorant feel a bit embarrassed.

Not only did he help Mike and the other students with heavy physical labor every day, but he also continued to play with the pets during breaks.

It didn’t take long for him to become familiar with the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs and the Windrunner Horses.

Mo'er was a smart kid, and Lorant knew this well. He had a good understanding of Mo'er’s character.

Although they hadn’t been in contact for a long time, Lorant had observed them and trusted Martha’s family.

Especially with the constant surveillance of the baby ghost spider, Lorant wasn’t worried about them having any ill intentions.

While unreliable relatives could always be a source of headaches, Lorant was confident in his family members in this world.

They were sensible and knew their limits, people he could rely on in critical times.

Seeing Mo'er’s strong interest in pets, Lorant naturally provided him with some training methods for the pets, allowing him to explore on his own.

Without Lorant’s approval, Mo'er hadn’t dared to really train the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs.

He understood the value of these pets; such precious creatures were something he could only admire from a distance.

He didn’t think Lorant’s possessions should automatically include him, and the young man was clear about this.

However, humans are emotional beings, and over time, Mo'er inevitably developed a preference for one of the pets.

It was the Crystal Ice Flame Dog he now had with him.

This particular Crystal Ice Flame Dog didn’t stand out in appearance, but its personality was solid. Although it was always a bit slow, Mo'er liked it very much.

In terms of intelligence, this little guy was far less clever than its siblings, often appearing a bit clumsy.

Though not very smart, it was very resilient.

While other Crystal Ice Flame Dogs could learn commands in one try, this one needed five or six attempts.

But just like other Crystal Ice Flame Hounds would grow impatient after being told twice, it could tirelessly train countless times until it mastered the skill.

When Mo'er first noticed it, he was moved by its clumsy appearance.

A clumsy little dog that always lagged behind and a smart, capable boy who always wanted to be ahead in everything—some inexplicable chemistry arose between them.

The little one had a boy willing to teach it commands over and over again, and the boy had a Crystal Ice Flame Hound that would never leave his side.

"Alright, are you ready?" Lorant couldn't help but smile slightly as he looked at the two boys facing each other with a certain air of determination. "Let me emphasize again, both sides must now leave the arena and can only assist their Crystal Ice Flame Hounds through verbal commands."

Mo'er and Gabriel took half a step back, leaving the arena to the two tense Crystal Ice Flame Hounds.

"Then, let's begin!"

"Charge!"

"Create some distance!"

As soon as Lorant finished speaking, the two commands were issued simultaneously. Mo'er's Crystal Ice Flame Hound ran swiftly, while Gabriel's little one hesitated for a moment before obeying the command and charging forward.

This hesitation left it vulnerable.

Mo'er felt a surge of joy; this was exactly the situation he had hoped for.

"Run and attack with Fireballs!"

Seeing his Crystal Ice Flame Hound miss its strike and fall into the other hound's encirclement, Gabriel felt a moment of panic, reminiscent of Mike and Maomao's previous battle. However, he quickly regained his composure.

The physical condition of a Third-Class Knight was worlds apart from that of an ordinary person. When Gabriel focused all his attention, his dynamic vision could still barely track the movements of the Crystal Ice Flame Hound.

"Pursue!"

Although Gabriel didn't have a clear battle strategy, when he realized Mo'er intended to trap him and engage in a long-distance attrition battle, he instinctively decided not to let Mo'er's plan proceed smoothly.

He needed to disrupt the opponent's plan.

Mo'er smiled smugly. "Counterattack! Pounce and bite!"

He had been waiting for the opponent to make such a decision.

When Crystal Ice Flame Hounds run in a straight line, their speed means they need a bit of reaction time to stop. Mo'er aimed to catch the opponent off guard by having his hound prepare to turn and counterattack right when the other hound was about to charge.

To catch the opponent unprepared.

In an instant, the two Crystal Ice Flame Hounds were locked in a fierce struggle, wrestling together.

So far, Mo'er had gained a slight advantage, having outmaneuvered Gabriel.